To protect
by Darrin Muffin
Summary: A fic about protecting one's family and the bad decisions that can come with it. Nathan and Peter brotherly relationship.Try it!


_**A/N: Hi there! This fic takes place after the second season and has spoilers from both seasons. It contains some foul language so you have been warned. This is a oneshot but I am willing to continue it if you want me to. That being said, enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters!**_

_TO PROTECT_

"Do I know you?"

Glassy brown eyes try in vain to concentrate on the figure above. He doesn't have the power to lift himself up; he doesn't even have the will to try it. The figure kneels on the white cushioned floor and speaks. But it's getting harder and harder to keep his head in one place and his eyelids are getting heavier and heavier. He doesn't even remember why he's trying in the first place. There's a noise coming from above him and it sounds sweet, like some kind of music, comforting. Maybe it's a lullaby, lullabies are nice, comforting, like the noise. He lets his head lull to the side and his eyelids drop. He thinks of lullabies and nice noises, voices. Then something clears a bit and the blurry figure passes in front of his closed eyes. He doesn't realize what it means, not really, but he manages to ask: "What was that again?"

He says it in a low voice, and it's mostly mumbled but he doesn't care. He forgot he asked even as the words were escaping his mouth. Then there's silence. So he starts to fly … he sees faces and animals and bright lights but it's all jumbled up and there's no logic to it. To him, it makes sense, it's pleasant and warm and usual and peaceful. It's everything he has and everything he does nowadays. But he doesn't think that, he doesn't form conclusions. He can't. The images are flying too fast and he can't really hold on. He doesn't even remember what it was like to try. Then a voce comes close to him. Too close.

"It's me Peter, it's Nathan."

But the voice is too close and he has to move. He tries to move his arms to keep him balanced, to help him get away but he can't. They're trapped. He panics and opens his eyes. His head is now lifted and he looks down at himself. He can't see much. He's something white on a white background, and the voice speaks again.

"It's your brother Peter...your" the voice stops and then starts again "your big brother. You know me."

Peter's head whips to his right and sees a massive man three inches from his face. He somehow remembers how to use his heels and pushes himself as fast as possible to his left. His eyes are wide, terrified. And his mind is blocked on a single thought, to get away. Nathan's hand reaches out but only makes him move faster. A dull thump and sudden pain in his back and head tell Peter that he can't go any further. His eyes are now dazed with drugs and pain, and most importantly, he can't get away. He continues to watch with wide eyes the big man approaching. And the man seems familiar, but he needs to get away. He tugs at his hands. It's mostly instinct.

"Okay, if you don't want me here, I'll leave and come back later. But I will come back."

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Nathan got up with his heart once again broken. The pure look of terror on his little brother's face was more than he could bear. He knew Peter simply didn't realize who he was, but it made him wonder if that really made a difference.

"I'm your big brother" he repeated to the closed door. Then he chuckled bitterly. His voice had broken when he had said it to him. One hell of a big brother he was.

Silently, he made his way out of the facility. As he walked slowly and steadily, his mind replayed their meeting. Peter was lying on the cushioned white floor looking drained. He had lost a great deal of weight. He felt his unfocused gaze on him and the question almost tore his heart away. He wished they didn't have to drug him so much, but apparently his brother was a lot more powerful than he let on. Not only an abnormally amount of medicine was needed to make his powers inaccessible but they also needed to keep him in a state of semi-consciousness. His powers had become more than some simple pills could handle so the only way was to burry them inside him as deep as possible and, at the same time, make him incapable of reaching for them. And even all of this was not guaranteed to work. They had many different powers to take count of, the most important being his abilities to travel through time, control minds and regenerate. Each power was, on its own, problematic and having all three and some extra… it was impossible to discern how long they could keep him like this. On the one side, there was no knowing what keeping this tremendous power from surging through his veins could mean for his health and on the other side there was no knowing how long they could keep it at bay.

As such, his brother was now some body with a lost mind, who didn't recognize anything and anyone. He basically had no life anymore.

"But he is safe." He reassured himself. And the image of Peter, terrified and pushing against the cushioned wall flashed through his mind. He swallowed. Another image flashed through his mind, the moment Peter had hit the wall and was too drugged to hide his pain. Sure, the walls were supposed to be cushioned but they had hardened over the years, and although the impact was significantly weakened, it was still painful. He swallowed again.

He strode through the parking lot and got into his car. Heidi greeted him quietly. His mom only nodded with a frozen smile.

His wife, after remarrying swore that she would never leave him again. She accompanied him every time he visited his brother, always keeping a comforting hand on his during the drive back. In the two months that had passed since Peter had been brought in, she only visited once. It was the first time they visited and they were all three present. The second time she asked if she could stay in the car and wait for him there. She never visited him again. Heidi disapproved.

Angela also visited only the first time. She calmly announced that he could not escape. After giving a nod of approval to the manager she elegantly went back to the car. She said that her reason for coming back was to keep Heidi from being bored in the car. The real reason was that she was making sure Nathan wouldn't reconsider his decision and won't get his brother out.

After he got shot at the press conference, Peter had saved him with his blood. It was mostly hopeful thinking but the miracle happened and he was still breathing today. He eluded death again, without a scratch on his body. But he also started thinking about his brother and how he got into the most dangerous situations. He began to worry about the way in which his naïve, dreamer, little brother had ended up having the fate of the world on his shoulders. Twice.

He, Nathan, was the older brother and he was supposed to protect his younger sibling. But how can one protect a person who is supposed to save the world? It is impossible. His mother had suggested that he didn't have to. If Peter wasn't the savior, than he didn't have to protect the savior. Only his brother.

And he could do that, he had always done that. It was second nature. Although he cursed himself for listening to his mother's twisted thoughts, he couldn't help but consider them. Ever since Peter had become this power magnet, whose potential was almost limitless he felt at loss. He was officially out ranked, in power but also in thought and in attitude. The youngest Petrelli had what it took to be a hero, but nobody can save the hero.

What could he do? The fact that he could fly couldn't be of any help if he was pinned on the wall with his head being caught off. It couldn't fight a deadly virus or even destroy it. But his brother could, and his brother had helped himself. And in the end, he had succeeded. He had saved the day and Nathan more than once.

The only reason why he had been able to talk Peter into realizing the truth about Adam was that beside all this incredible power, his brother also possessed a great deal of love. For him. But then again, he did very little to deserve that love. So what could he do to protect him now? He came up with one sick, twisted and wrong answer...but it was an answer. Strip him of his powers and take him where nobody can put the fate of the world on his shoulders. And he did.

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What Nathan didn't know and will never know was that the hardened walls were actually a good thing. For Peter. His regenerative power was called by his body in the moment of impact. That is where the struggle began. Too much time under the drugs made his body accustomed to them in a small measure. But a small measure was all it took. Slowly, his mind started to clear as the drugs were crushed by his anti-bodies. He started to realize where he was and what he was doing. And he got mad. He didn't remember why or how he ended up in what seemed to be a mental hospital, probably one of the Company's. But he knew that he didn't want to be there. He tried to pry the door open with his mind but realized that he couldn't do it. So they had given him drugs that stopped his powers. They were probably not enough to completely eliminate the power or to keep it for manifesting if the body was searching for it. Who the hell had locked him inside? He angrily tugged at his hands and the white shirt that was keeping them tied. He felt weak and dizzy.

Fortunately, even if it was done at a snail's pace, his body began to recover its strength and vigor. Trying to make it easier he decided to stay still. Slowly, his eyes slid to a dark patch on the wall. With his brow frowned he continued to study the square. Suddenly he gasped. It was a window. It was from a door. It was how his brother came to him. His brother…

"Nathan…"

A blurry figure saying that he's his brother.

"…Nathan…"

A whisper of his voice:' it's for the best Peter, you'll be safe here'

"…Nathan…"

Walking towards Nathan's office …hugging him…a sting…

"Traitor" his voice broke . He found himself breathing hard. He had to get out, but his body was too weak, and they will come with drugs again. He will lose himself, again. There was no hope…

He let his back slid on the wall until he was lying on his side. Words whispered brokenly escaped his mouth. He was recollecting past times: "He's my brother and I love him. We have a connection"

He chuckled bitterly. That was when all traces of naïve Peter died. He was changed forever.

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That was how the guards found him: in an awkward position against the wall, with unfocused eyes. They were not trained to tell that his eyes held pain beyond tears and for that you could say that Peter Petrelli was lucky.

"Doesn't he seem fatter to you?"

"What? Him, hell no. He's jus' as skinny as ever."

"Yeah, well, bring the doc, he's safe. And let's get outta here. He gives me the creeps."

As the unwilling patient noticed the first pair of shoes returning, followed closely by another, anger awoke inside him. They will drug him and he will lose himself. He will never find out why. He will never know, he could never ask Nathan, never. Never. Anger replaced his sadness and in a few moments blind fury had taken hold of him. The radiation level in the room started to grow, but nobody was measuring it. The doctor didn't even bother checking him: he had been there for a long time. Nothing was going to change, he will be there forever. He gave him three shots, then got out. He still had rounds to do and three new files to analyze.

Lost in his fury, weakened on the floor, Peter forgot that he was supposed to be dizzy and that conscious thought should be impossible. He didn't even notice that at some point after the doctor had left he began to glow. But it did not take long to realize it. He gasped and lifted himself. Finally taking notice of his firefly state, he realized that he must have destroyed the new drugs in his system. Ted's powers were useful for once. His fury clamed and the glowing ceased. Under his very eyes he saw his body come back to its healthy, original form and in no time he jumped to his feet. With just a thought the white shirt was on the floor in shreds. He lifted a hand and waved it towards the door. It ripped from the door with a loud crack. He smirked. Paul Petrelli was free.

_**A/N: And this is it. Be a darling and leave a review, it really means a lot. Thank you!**_


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